Chapter 30. Arrival

Haldi and Isen half-carried Ferdi to his quarters, laying him upon the bed in the inner room. He blinked at Nell as she sat down beside him. ‘Where’s Mardi?’ he asked.

 ‘Here,’ the healer said, entering with a covered cup. He’d handed Nell over to another Took cousin and hurried to the infirmary to pour out a sleeping draught. ‘I want you to drink this.’

 ‘I don’t want it,’ Ferdi said.

 ‘It doesn’t matter whether you want it or not,’ Nell said determinedly. ‘You’re going to drink it.’

 ‘That’s right, Da,’ young Rudi said. ‘Every drop.’

Though Ferdibrand tried to protest, he was overruled by the healer, Pimpernel, and all the children. ‘Very well,’ he said. ‘I will drink the draught, if I may have a cup of tea to follow.’ He winced again as the children cheered the victory. Seeing this, Mardi was quick to shoo them out of the room. Nell followed him with a question, and when she turned back Ferdi was just draining the cup, making a face. ‘Not as bad as his usual effort,’ he said. ‘He’s putting more honey in than he used to.’

 ‘Well then,’ Nell said quietly. Now was not the time to pump her husband with questions as to just what had happened in Woody End. That would have to come later, when he lost the pinched look about his eyes. ‘Lie yourself down and let me soothe away the pain.’

He put his arms about her and kissed her tenderly. ‘My love,’ he said. ‘My Nell.’ She nestled into his arms and was content to be held for many breaths. Yet another kiss was interrupted by a yawn on Ferdi’s part, and Nell took the opportunity to push him down.

 ‘There!’ she said, moving to where she could run her fingertips back and forth across his forehead. ‘How does that feel?’

 ‘That feels...’ Ferdi said. His voice trailed off into an indistinguishable murmur and his breathing became deep and even.

Nell soothed his forehead for some time, then whispered, ‘Ferdi? My love?’ There was no answer, and she rose cautiously from the bed. Another warning cramp caught her and she sucked in her breath, then relaxed. She'd had plenty of cramping over the last few days, but there was no reason to think the babe would arrive anytime soon. She cast another glance behind her, but Ferdi had not moved.

Exiting the bedroom, she found the children a-bustle, Cori and Freddy laying the table for tea while Mignonette warmed the pot and Rudi and Odo toasted bread over the fire.

 ‘Da’s tea is almost ready,’ Mignonette said.

 ‘He won’t be needing it,’ Nell said. ‘He’s asleep already. Where’s Mardi?’

 ‘He was called away,’ Rudi answered. ‘He said he’d come by later.’

 ‘Ah, good,’ Nell said, taking up her shawl. ‘I have a little errand to run, and I expect I’ll be back in time for tea.’

 ‘An errand?’ Rudi asked. ‘Would you like me to escort you, Mother?’

 ‘That won’t be necessary,’ Nell said brightly. ‘I’m not going far.’ In point of fact, the Thain’s quarters were only a few steps away.

***

Pimpernel found the missing healer in the Thain’s quarters, fussing over Pippin, who was fending off the unwanted attention. ‘I do not know why Regi felt the need to call you,’ the Thain said, frustration in his tone. ‘I don’t know when I’ve felt better!’

 ‘You slept in the open last night,’ Mardi said sternly. ‘In the open air, in winter! You could have sought shelter in a farmhouse or woodcutter’s cot if you did not want to draw attention at an inn, but...’

 ‘You showed precious little sense,’ Diamond scolded. She was one of the few who could openly criticise the Thain, and she was taking full advantage of her position. ‘You might have caught your death! Now stop fussing and let Mardi listen to your breathing!’

Pippin submitted with poor grace, taking deep breaths when Mardi told him to, coughing as instructed, breathing through mouth or nose at Mardi’s request. The healer finally straightened up, saying, ‘It’s a mercy. There doesn’t seem to have been any harm done. I’d still like to smear salve over front and back...’

 ‘That smelly stuff?’ Pippin asked with a sigh. ‘Is it really necessary?’

 ‘Probably not,’ Mardi said, ‘but I’m not taking any chances. Woodruff will have my hide if you fall ill. Chances are, as soon as she returns from her daughter’s hole she’ll want to go over all the same ground I just traversed.’

 ‘What were you thinking?’ Diamond said.

 ‘I’d like to ask the same question,’ Nell put in. Advancing on her brother, she said, ‘What were you thinking? It was you, wasn’t it, who accused Ferdi of intending harm to your son? I cannot see anyone else’s accusation taken seriously, but yours...’

 ‘Yes,’ Pippin said. ‘It was I.’

For a moment Nell was taken aback by his candour, but she shouldn’t have been surprised. Devious her brother might be when it suited his purposes, but he was not deceitful. ‘After all Ferdi’s done for you over the years, and Tolly as well, to think that...’

 ‘They were keeping my son from me,’ Pippin shot back. He took Diamond’s hand and turned again to face his irate sister. ‘They stopped our post, so that my wife worried needlessly.’

 ‘Hmph!’ Diamond said. ‘And you didn’t worry at all?’

 ‘Diamond, love,’ Pippin said and kissed her hand. ‘I thought you too ill to write. You’ve been so miserable, I thought perhaps the smell of the ink set you off or somewhat...’ Diamond hmphed again but allowed her husband to retain her hand.

 Nell, on the other hand, was not impressed. ‘And that was grounds enough for banishing my husband?’ she snapped. ‘Banish him for trying to save your son from—.’ She gasped at a sudden stabbing pain.

Mardibold was at her side immediately. ‘Nell, calm down,’ he said.

 ‘Easy enough for you to say!’ she breathed, then to Pippin she added, ‘I’m not finished with you yet!’ Another pain assailed her.

 ‘Coming awfully close together,’ Mardi muttered. ‘Let us get you back to your own bed.’

 ‘My husband!’ Nell gasped. ‘He took a sleeping draught! O no!’ She began to weep. ‘He’ll miss this birth as well as the last...’

 ‘And it’s my fault,’ Farry said from the doorway where he’d watched the entire exchange.

 ‘No, Farry,’ Pippin said, but he was interrupted by the healer.

 ‘We can assign the blame at a later date,’ Mardi said sharply. ‘This babe is coming any time now, is what I’m thinking.’ He urged Nell towards the door. ‘Come, lass, at least you can be in the same bed where your husband is asleep.’

 ‘He’ll be there in spirit,’ Diamond said, moving to Pimpernel’s other side. ‘O Nell, I’m sorry about this whole mess.’

 ‘You’ve no cause to apologise,’ Nell gasped as Diamond and Mardi guided her out the door and towards her own apartments.

 ‘Perhaps I don’t,’ Diamond said with a significant look behind them and Mardi repressed a snort. Thain Peregrin was in for it and no mistake.

 ‘Mum? What is it?’ Mignonette gasped as they entered.

 ‘What do you think?’ Nell asked acidly.

 ‘She must be close; she’s being rude,’ Rudi said worriedly.

 ‘I’m not being rude!’ Nell snapped. ‘You try having a babe and you’ll see...’ She broke off as an overwhelming urge seized her; she stopped short and hugged herself, panting.

 ‘Don’t push,’ Mardi warned. ‘Not until I’ve had a look.’ Nell glared at him and Diamond smothered an absurd desire to laugh.

 ‘Let’s get her on the bed,’ Ferdi said from the doorway to their bedroom.

’Ferdi!’ Nell gasped. Her husband stepped forward, sweeping her up in his arms, taking her to the bed, holding her a moment while Diamond prepared the bed, and then Ferdi laid her down. Mardi immediately got down to business while Diamond organised the children in the sitting room.

 ‘I want Woodruff!’ Nell said unreasonably.

 ‘I see a curly crown!’ Mardi announced, ignoring her complaint. ‘We won’t even need the birthing stool at this rate. All right, sweet Nell, you may push if you wish; all is well.’

  ‘Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?’ Nell asked Ferdi, who was holding her close for want of anything better to do. To her frustration, the urge had subsided. She wondered if she’d ever be done with this, and suffered an absurd desire simply to get up and leave the business to everyone else.

 ‘Aren’t you supposed to be pushing?’ Ferdi returned pleasantly.

 ‘If you know so much why don’t you have this baby!’ Nell gritted, but then another wave broke over her and she was for the moment beyond words.

 ‘Less talking, more pushing,’ Mardi said encouragingly. ‘Now, Nell!’

Ferdi was never quite sure afterwards how it happened, but soon he heard a thin cry and then Mardi was laughing. ‘A lass!’ the healer called triumphantly. ‘A beautiful lass!’ Soon the healer was holding a blanket-wrapped babe. ‘Sit down, Ferdi,’ he said. ‘Here’s your daughter.’

 ‘My daughter,’ Ferdi breathed, sinking down next to Nell, whose ill temper had vanished as quickly as the babe had come. ‘Look, Nell, it’s my daughter.’ Pimpernel laughed softly, even as tears filled her eyes to see her beloved holding the blanketed bundle as if a breath might break the tiny mite.

 ‘Our daughter, you mean,’ she said with a smile.

 ‘That’s what I said,’ Ferdi whispered. ‘Isn’t she grand?’